SAN MARCOS 
Bob Gould has his piece of paper now, the one that proves he is a U.S. citizen.

Gould, a 62-year-old Vietnam War veteran living in San Marcos, has been trying for months to verify his citizenship so he can collect Social Security benefits.

He emigrated with his mother and father from Canada in 1953. His parents were naturalized five years later, and based on their status, Gould applied for “derivative” citizenship in 1966 and thought he had been approved.

But when Gould retired from his county government job in March, Social Security refused to pay his benefits of roughly $1,500 a month.

A federal law passed in 1996 requires evidence of citizenship, such as a U.S. passport, birth certificate or naturalization certificate, or proof of legal-resident status via a green card before payments can start. Gould had none of those documents.

“I've lived basically my whole life thinking I was a citizen,” Gould told
The San Diego Union-Tribune
in a story last week. “To be told otherwise is upsetting. Just really, really frustrating. It makes me angry.”

On Wednesday, Edwin Farin, a federal immigration services officer, called Gould and told him his naturalization file had been found in an archive in Los Angeles. Gould and his wife, Carol, met with Farin and other officials later in the day. He received a copy of his Certificate of Citizenship, originally approved in 1966.

“I had such a big grin I couldn't quite deal with it,” Gould said yesterday morning.